Immelman survives Nos. 11-13 to win at Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The dreams and prayers of Trevor Immelman were answered on a blustery Sunday at Amen Corner.

The treacherous three-hole stretch that spans Nos. 11-13 at Augusta National Golf Club eliminated most of the field taking aim at the young South African. But Immelman stayed steady through that wind-worsened stretch and avoided a late hiccup to win the Masters by three strokes over Tiger Woods, who finished second for the second straight year.

In doing so Immelman, who shot an 8-under-par 280 to post the largest margin of victory at the Masters since 2002, became the first Masters winner since Seve Ballesteros in 1980 to lead after every round. He also joins Gary Player, who won the final of his three Masters championships 30 years ago, as the only South Africans to win at Augusta. Immelman’s countrymen had finished second in five of the past seven Masters.

The 28-year-old picked up his first major championship with the win, and it was his second PGA Tour victory following the 2006 Cialis Western Open. He has three European Tour wins.

“This tournament is such a big deal down in South Africa,” said Immelman, whose final round 3-over-par 75 tied Arnold Palmer for the highest final-round score to win. “We grow up idolizing the event. Kids dream about winning this tournament, just as I did.”

Immelman’s biggest Masters memory prior to Sunday came in 2005 when he made a final-round hole-in-one on the par-3 16th. He finished fifth that year, one of four made cuts in six Masters appearances. But it was the site of that ace that gave Immelman his biggest final-round scare Sunday.

Immelman’s only real mistake of the final round came when hit his tee shot on No. 16 wide left into the water hazard. He finished the hole with a double bogey. In hindsight, Immelman opened the window of opportunity a bit for Woods with that shot. But the four-time Masters champion never got closer than five shots while on the course.

It put the number of short missed putts by Woods under the microscope. But while Woods was missing those putts, Immelman maintained the lead.

“We’re all playing under difficult conditions, and we figured if we shot something in the 60s, we’re going to be right there with a chance to win and try to put a lot of pressure on Trevor up there,” Woods said. “It turns out, that would have been the case. But I didn’t do my part.”

Neither did the many players whose hopes were crushed at Amen Corner, which got its name 50 years ago from circumstances that benefited Palmer. There were no such circumstances Sunday.

Immelman led Steve Flesch by two and Brandt Snedeker by four at the turn with Woods lurking.

But Flesch dropped his tee shot into Rae’s Creek on the par-3 12th and finished with a double bogey.

Snedeker had a disastrous run through Amen Corner with bogeys on Nos. 11 and 13, where he hit his ball into a tributary of Rae’s Creek for the second straight day. He finished the final two rounds 4 over at Amen Corner.

“If somebody could tell me how to play the second shot (on No. 13), I’d love to know, because two days in a row I’ve hit it right in the middle of that damn water,” said Snedeker, who was briefly tied with Immelman at 10 under following an eagle on the second hole.

Woods didn’t falter at Amen Corner, but he didn’t come through the way he needed to. He birdied the 11th with a 75-yard putt but failed to take advantage of a short birdie putt at 13.

“I just didn’t make the putts I needed to make this entire week,” Woods said. “I had the speed right, I just didn’t quite get the line right.”

Immelman made a par-saving putt on No. 11 but gave a stroke back on No. 12 with an errant tee shot. He recovered to birdie No. 13 and leave Amen Corner virtually unscathed.

“It seemed like with the conditions (Sunday), there was disaster around every corner,” Immelman said.

The only other golfers who had a reasonable chance to win starting the day were Englishman Paul Casey and former Georgia Tech standout and Duluth resident Stewart Cink.

Casey, who started the day just four shots out of the lead, shot a 5-over-par 41 on the front nine to end his chances early. Cink, who finished tied for third with Snedeker, played well early in getting to 6 under but made four bogeys before finishing at 4 under.

“(Immelman) knows how to finish tournaments and win, and I think he’s proven that (Sunday),” Cink said.

The victory seems even more surprising considering the path Immelman took to Augusta.

Immelman had surgery in December to remove a benign tumor from behind his ribcage. The recovery gave him a late start to the 2008 season. He missed the cut in half of his eight tournaments leading up to the Masters, and he had a season-best finish of 40th in a stroke-play event before the Masters.

“This has been the ultimate roller-coaster ride and I hate roller coasters,” said Immelman, who is the 29th-ranked player in the world. “You know, it’s kind of really weird. … I felt like I had to just basically start from zero again. Here I am after missing the cut last week, Masters champion. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of.”

Only two players broke through the windy conditions to post sub-70 rounds. Miguel Angel Jiminez shot 68, and Heath Slocum posted a 69.